A store manager is the person ultimately responsible for the day-to-day operations
(or management) of a retail store. All employees working in the store report to
the store manager. A store manager reports to a district or general manager.

A store manager must meet monthly , quarterly, or annual sales goals, depending
on the company's fiscal cycle. This involves setting individual sales goals (quotas),
holding contests for employees, or offering sales promotions. The manager may also
receive a monetary incentive (or "bonus") tied to financial performance over a specific
period. This incentive may be based on net sales, profitability, or both. Thus,
the store manager may be forced to reduce payroll expenditures by decreasing employees'
hours, or otherwise reducing operating cost. A store Manager should Motivate his
team to achieve the target set for the store by Using some different activities.
A store manager should set an example for his/her subordinates to follow.

Safety and security

The Store manager is the store's primary key-holder and may be called to the store
before, during, or after business hours in the event of an emergency. They are also
responsible for the safety of all customers and employees on store premises. Store
managers may be required to hold safety meetings, especially as dictated by union
practices in cases where store employees belong to a union.

Division of responsibility

A store manager may have several subordinates who have management-level responsibility.
These employees may be called assistant managers, department managers, supervisors,
keyholders, shift leads, or leads. A store manager has over-all responsibility for
all day to day activity of the store. Managing & controlling staff, and planning
are essential points of the store manager.

Hiring, training and development

The store manager is responsible for hiring, training, and in some cases, development,
of employees. The manager must ensure staffing levels are adequate to effectively
operate the store, and ensure employees receive training necessary for their job
responsibilities. Managers may be responsible for developing employees so the company
can promote employees from within and develop future leaders, potentially for employment
at other locations. The role of store managers with regards to the other employees
varies from company to company and each respective company's operating methods but
in general a store manager will be required to deal with and try and solve any issues
adversely affecting an employee's work. This is to done to prevent a drop in productivity
and to make sure that the employee seeking help doesn't end up being a casualty
of the necessary role of firing long term inefficient workers.

Visual merchandising and inventory control

In retail locations, store managers are responsible for visual merchandising. Many
companies communicate how to merchandise their stores using direction such as planograms
to indicate product placement. While managers have a varying degree of autonomy
in deviating from corporate direction, it is important to ensure that stores are
compliant with the company's brand image. Managers must ensure that the proper amount
of inventory is displayed for customers to purchase, by ensuring that shelves and
racks remain stocked and that product is frequently rotated out of storage areas.
Managers are also concerned with shrinkage, and must ensure that merchandising techniques
and customer service skills minimize the possibility of product being stolen.